Wedding Day Jitters
by AngelicBee
Summary: Aang and Katara are set to be married, but once Aang sees his matured friend for the first time in years, new feelings begin to pop up. Will Katara be the one walking down the aisle by the end?
1. Chapter 1

"Aang! She agreed!" The 23-year-old bride-to-be came running towards her fiancée as soon as he floated off his pet air bison. Katara wasted no time in throwing her arms around his neck at full speed (which would have thrown off a normal person, but Aang was use to airbending to keep himself standing). In her hand, she held a piece of paper that she had managed to crumple during her run.

Aang laughed. "Who agreed to what?"

Katara let go of him and scrambled to open the parchment. "Toph! She actually agreed to be my maid of honor!"

"Well, why wouldn't she? Isn't she your best friend?" Aang frowned, taking the piece of paper to look at crudely-written words. It seemed Toph had taken the time to learn to write in between her duties as Chief of Police in the newly-formed Republic City.

His fiancée rolled her eyes. "Well, it wasn't exactly agreeing to be my maid of honor, but more of wearing the dress that will match the bridesmaids."

Aang narrowed his eyes at her. "Katara, you didn't choose the frilly dresses I told you not to choose because the bridesmaids might not like them, did you?"

Katara stayed silent.

"I was away for a month and you changed all the plans!" Aang sighed irately.

Of course, that was probably an exaggeration; changing the dresses was not the same as changing the entire wedding. However, over the time the two had been together, Aang had found his waterbending teacher to be a bit… controlling. Everything had to be _perfect_ , but perfect was only whatever Katara envisioned. Aang, who was more or less use to getting what he wanted, found this quirk of hers a bit hard to put up with.

Neither one in the couple had the best way of dealing with problems either. When it came to her future husband, Katara tended to be more passive-aggressive and Aang… well, it was only a matter of time before he had to go off somewhere far from home because of his Avatar duties (or because he didn't want to have to fight with Katara, but no one would ever say it out loud).

Still, Katara idolized the avatar and Aang wanted to marry his dream girl.

"I did not change _all_ the plans! Suki said she would be fine with wearing it," Katara pointed out.

"Because she didn't want to hurt your feelings. It's your wedding. She already had hers," Aang countered.

"Exactly!" Katara pointed into his chest. "It's _my_ wedding! If I want, I can have the frilliest dresses in the world." She flipped around and began walking back into the house; her hair almost hit the Avatar's face during the turn.

Aang caught up with her. "Didn't you want a traditional water tribe wedding? I thought your friend Leng was helping you pick out dresses that looked like dresses from a water tribe wedding?"

"I'm marrying an airbender in Republic City. Does this look like a water tribe betrothal necklace, Aang?" She held up the penchant. It was similar to the large necklaces air nomads wore, but Aang had carved the large blue stone in homage to her mother's necklace. "Which is a _Northern_ water tribe tradition anyway. Nothing about our wedding is traditional."

"Are you two love birds, OK?" Sokka's head popped out of the door. He had most likely heard them fighting from the other side and taken it upon himself to cool things down before they walked inside raging. Katara had convinced him any aggression at all in front of his kids was going to turn them into thugs.

Katara flashed him a smile. "Never better! It's just… Wedding day jitters! You know how it is!"

Sokka laughed. "Oh boy, do I! Suki doesn't get worked up often, but I guess planning our wedding drove her to the point of just letting me do the rest of it. I mean, I had to make sure it was gorgeous." Sokka chuckled again.

"That's what I want! Is it that hard to understand, Aang?" Katara turned to him.

Aang sighed, giving up. "No, sweetie. Besides, the wedding is a week away. I really don't want anything else to have to change."

"Great!" Katara hugged him. "Do you mind picking up Toph's dress for her then? She doesn't want her police buddies to see it."

"No wonder. It's hideous," Sokka said. Katara's death glare shut him up for the time being.

Aang's mood changed once he had received the opportunity to see his old friend. "Actually, yeah. I wouldn't mind it at all. It's been a _long_ time since I got to talk to our little friend."

Sokka snorted (apparently, his sister's mean look could only keep him quiet for so long). "Then, you should know she's not that little anymore."

"What do you mean?" The airbender frowned. He distinctly remembered Suki telling him that Toph was still the shortest in the group.

Sokka eagerly tried to tell him, "Little Toph has some _curv-"_

"Aren't you married with kids?" Katara interrupted him. "Maybe we should go in and see them." Katara hurried her brother inside. "You can pick up her dress at the little shop we were looking through before you left."

Aang nodded as he watched her walk back inside. Then, he shook his head in agitation, turning around to prepare Appa for another trip.

…

Aang thought it was strange that of all places Toph could have chosen to live in (like a house similar to the one he and Katara were currently sharing with Sokka's family), she had chosen to be one of many in an apartment building. Sure, she had stayed grounded on the first floor of the building, but wouldn't the vibrations of the constant people milling about bother her?

The apartment building was very different from the ostentatious villa she had grown up in. Her accommodation would be simple and probably one bedroom. There wasn't much she would have to keep track of. He supposed the small bit of normalcy might have been why she was called to live in this place.

"Who's there?" Was the shout from the other side once he had decided to knock. The door swung open before he could answer. "I'm just joking, I knew it was you, Twinkletoes."

Aang had to do a double take. Sokka was right; she certainly wasn't the little 12-year-old that had run away with them nine years ago. Toph's brown tank top clung to her skin due to the sweaty bending workout she had obviously just gotten back from. The shirt prominently displayed the breasts Aang didn't quite remember her having the last time he saw her. Then again, he never got the chance to have a full conversation with her for the past four years because of their respective duties.

"Do you always wear stuff like that nowadays?" Aang averted his eyes as though Toph would be able to tell he was staring.

Toph fingered the strap to her shirt. "What's wrong with it? Does it match? I'm pretty sure everything in my closet is either green, brown, or black so I don't have to worry about it. At least, that's what Katara and Suki told me."

"No, the colors are fine." Which was true, the brown tank top looked fine with her black shorts. Aang shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Is that my dress?" Toph grabbed the heap of cloth from Aang's arms and waved him inside, closing the stone door with a quick flick of her wrist. She held it out in front of her like she were taking a look at the multiple layers and ruffles to it. At least Katara had picked out a pretty color. The steel blue would look nice on all three bridesmaids. "I bet it looks absolutely _dashing_."

"Oh, it does," Aang laughed. "It's horrible, Toph. I never thought in a million years, you would want to wear that."

Toph shrugged. "Eh, it's her wedding. Whatever makes the both of you happy, ya know?" Then she told him sharply, "But I'm not about to let my subordinates tease me over this stupid rag! Which is why I'm glad you came by to drop it off." She tossed the dress onto the grey beaten-up couch. "It's nice to see you again, Twinkletoes."

Aang gulped. Without the dress in the way anymore, he was given another clear look at who _he_ was looking at. What did Sokka tell him earlier? Toph had curves. Very nice looking curves to her body. Aang had always thought Toph was pretty, but seeing her grown up was… a very different sight. He was ashamed to say that it was a very welcome sight as well. He wondered if she, underneath her shirt, had abs.

"How's this wedding nonsense treating you?" Toph asked when her friend said nothing. Right, he probably shouldn't be thinking about Toph without her clothes on.

"Well," Aang hesitated as he scratched the back of his neck, struggling to decide whether or not to tell her the truth or sugar-coat it. He decided on, "It's a lot."

"Let me guess: Katara is being controlling and bossy and it's hard to get your opinion in?" Toph raised an eyebrow as she placed a fist against her hip. Somehow, she managed to sum up his feelings within in a sentence.

Aang exhaled in relief. "That's exactly it. I get it though. It's a big deal. We're committing ourselves to loving each other for… the rest of our lives." Aang wasn't sure he really wanted to think about that idea anymore. At least, not right now while he had- what did Katara call it?- wedding day jitters. He changed the subject and asked her curiously, "Are you bringing a date to the wedding?"

Toph shrugged. "Nah, I'm better off not having a date to these sorts of things."

"Why's that?"

She scoffed like it was something so obvious. "Because if I'm not letting them get into my pants by the end of the night, they'll be trying to get into someone else's. And with me, they're always trying to get into someone else's." That idea made Aang sad. He knew Toph deserved more than whatever scumbag was like that. She didn't seem all too bothered by it though. " _Besides_ , I'm too busy to date right now, what with having to direct and organize a new police force with limited knowledge. I've given myself this week off for the wedding and then I'm back to business. I have all my life to find a partner, you know? I don't know why you both are settling down so early."

"I feel like nine years of dating is plenty to justify settling down."

Toph waved his comment off. "I meant early in your life. I can't imagine being stuck with anyone for the next fifty years at this point in my life." Her eyes widened suddenly as she realized something. "Oh! Shoot, what time is it?"

Aang glanced out at the window. "Probably an hour until sunset, why?"

Toph grabbed the dress off the couch and scurried over to her bedroom (Aang was right; it was a one-bedroom apartment). "I have friends coming over for a drink later and I have to hide this before they get here."

Aang followed her over to her bedroom and watched as she banged against the wall, a part of it then popped open, revealing several bottles of fire whiskey. "They're not technically legal here yet," she explained as she bent over to throw the dress inside. Aang would have found it amusing that the Chief of the Police force was harboring illegal items in her wall, if it wasn't that he was busy focusing on something else.

Aang felt his face turn crimson when he realized that he was, in fact, focusing his attention to her bottom as she attempted to stuff the dress inside the secret compartment. Another _nice-looking,_ ample part of her body was revealed to him as it wiggled around. He couldn't find the willpower to look away from until she stood back and shut the door.

Toph straightened and stared right at him, a small smirk on her face. Truthfully, Toph was use to stares at her body by now. At first, she didn't really understand what men (and some women) were getting distracted by until Suki had blurted it out one drunken night. Sometimes it would become irritable when the policemen in her force made crude remarks when they thought she couldn't hear them, but a part of Toph was flattered that it would be so apparent to a blind girl when people thought she was attractive.

"Twinkletoes, were you staring?" She said in a low, angry tone. Toph tried her best to hide the humor in her voice.

Aang gaped as he stuttered, "N-no! Toph, you're my sifu! That'd be inappropriate-"

"Oh chill out, Twinkles," she giggled (he was pleased it was the same noise as when he first saw her in the swamp). "I can tell. What else is going to make your heart beat like it did when you first got here?"

The tips of his ears turned pink as Toph exposed him.

"You can take a look whenever you want," she winked at him, causing him to be taken aback.

"W-wait… why would you let me? Isn't that sort of perverted?" He asked cautiously. Within the air nomad society, 12-year-olds weren't exactly taught much sex education. The most he knew were from the scolds Katara (and occasionally Suki) targeted to Sokka.

Toph rolled her eyes. "You're one of the guys of the gang. I know you guys are only going to think the most vanilla thoughts when it has to do with me." She cracked up as though the idea of her doing anything vanilla when it came to sex was ridiculous. "Plus, it's not like you don't already stare at your _wife,_ Katara." Aang impatiently corrected her in his head that Katara was his _fiancée_ , not his wife… yet. Of course, Toph couldn't hear his thoughts, so she continued, "That girl's got some sweet legs and a nice booty too. It's a shame her chest never reached its full potential."

"How can you tell?" Aang was legitimately curious. His knowledge on Toph's 'sight' was fairly limited.

"I can't see facial expressions, so I spend a lot of time paying attention to people body language. I find a few moments to admire too." She smirked again. "It's only fair I tell you, you can check me out if I'm constantly checking you out." Toph pushed past him to strut over her to kitchen.

' _Would you say that to Zuko and Sokka?_ 'Aang wanted to ask her, but the risk of however she would respond to that made him rethink it. Instead, he said, "Well, thanks for not thinking I'm not a pervert," as he ambled to the doorway of the kitchen.

"Well, considering you're staring at more girls than just Katara, you are a pervert, Twinkletoes." Toph grabbed a couple of bottles of rum from her cabinet and set them down on her counter in preparation for her friend's visit.

Aang sighed. He wasn't going to attempt to win an argument with as stubborn of a person like Toph if he couldn't win an argument with Katara.

"My work friends are going to be here any minute now, so I'm sorry to say I have to cut our meeting short," Toph said, looking genuinely apologetic. She walked him towards the door. "But I'm sure we'll get to hang out sometime this week since I have it off."

"Yeah! Definitely." Aang smiled, opening his arms to hopefully receive a hug from his friend. Toph gladly accepted the invitation and wrapped her arms around him.

"Take care, Twinkletoes," she whispered in his ear as her hand reached down to pat his butt. Aang, unfamiliar to an action like this, pulled away, but Toph was able to actually grope his rump before he completely cut her off.

Aang was sure his face had been blushing almost the entire visit with Toph.

Before he could say anything, Toph rolled her eyes as she told him, "Oh, just suck it up, you pansy. I wanted to get a better look… You've got a pretty nice tush, ya know. Me, you, and Katara could make up a nice-butt club."

Then, the avatar was outside of her apartment without even realizing she had pushed him out. He was too distracted by the bold move his friend had made. Was it truly just 'a look' like he had committed earlier? Or did she possibly use her blindness as an excuse to feel him up?

Aang had agreed to drop off the dress for Toph in hopes that the visit would help cool him down. Instead, the avatar seemed to be experiencing entirely new feelings that did not help the mess his head and heart were already in…

All in all, one thought was in his head:

 _What the heck just happened?_

* * *

 **Haha! A new story! I shall hopefully be trying to update this one regularly. Many thanks to The Samurai Prince for not only requesting this, but also beta'ing it and offering me great advice while I was writing it! I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did writing it. Feel free to review and let me know what you think about it!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"How was the meeting with Toph?" Katara asked him before he even stepped into the house.

"F-fine! Why would you ask?" Aang jumped.

Katara made a face of worry. "Because you haven't seen Toph in four years. Are you alright?" Why would Aang jump to the point that he almost hit the ceiling?

"Yeah, I'm fine." Aang pushed past her to stalk into his bedroom.

Sokka looked up from the child in his lap. He had witnessed Aang's cold attitude from the couch hiding behind the kitchen counter. "What's his problem?"

"Nothing apparently. He's fine!" Katara said in frustration, throwing her hands into the air. She walked over and flopped herself onto the couch. Of course, the sight of Sokka's youngest, Senna, babbling in her father's lap immediately brightened her up. "Sokka, how'd you manage to have such cute kids?"

"Uh, sis, have you seen this?" He used his hand to show off his face, grinning at her. Senna burst into another fit of giggles.

Katara laughed too. "See! Even Senna doesn't believe it."

Sokka rolled his eyes, but a small smile was still on his face. Suddenly, his head popped up and he looked around. "Crap, where's Dal?" The four-year-old was in fact nowhere to be found.

Unbeknownst to the siblings who immediately went into Search Mode, the little girl had wandered into Katara and Aang's room.

With her chubby hand still lifted in the air from pushing the door open, Dal said aloud, "Hullo, Uncle Avatar!" Recently, the dark-haired beauty had become confused about his two names. Sometimes she would hear the man being referred to as Uncle Aang and sometimes as The Avatar. She found it simpler to combine the two names; after all, they both started with an 'a' so what was the difference?

Aang quickly removed his hands from his face, a position he had been in since he stalked away from Katara in embarrassment. "Hullo, Dal," he mimicked her greeting. It was Sokka's fault she had become prone to say the word that way.

Dal, satisfied with his answer, walked into the room, looking around as though it was an entirely new place. "Can I sit on the bed with you?" she asked him politely, looking up at him with big blue eyes.

The avatar answered her by picking her up and placing her on the bed next to him. Instead of being grateful, however, Dal huffed and crossed her arms, suddenly upset with him.

Aang frowned. "What did I do this time?" It was often that the little girl found something to be mad at. There was a reason she adored her Aunt Katara so much.

"I could have done it _myself_."

"Oh," he nodded, chuckling a small bit, but couldn't find the effort within in him to continue. Aang sighed and buried his face in his hands again, trying his best to not think about the day's events, but his efforts made him focus more on it instead.

Dal noticed his emotion, her anger quickly turned into concern. "Are you OK? Do you have a hurt?"

 _Have a hurt_. How cute.

"No, I don't hurt," Aang told her, smiling at her to try and cheer her up. "I'm just sad."

"Oh. Why are you sad?" She patted him on the shoulder like she was consoling him.

"I don't want to make Aunt Katara upset," he told her. It was the closest thing he could say that he hoped would make sense to her.

To Aang's relief, Dal nodded in understanding. "Daddy doesn't like Aunt 'Tara upset either. He says ' _Dal don't make Aunt 'Tara upset.'_ " Then she frowned as though she realized she had said the same thing twice. Maybe she had. "So me and Sennie have to be on our _best_ behavior."

He nodded. "Yes, me too. I just have to be on my best behavior. Thank you, Dal."

Dal grinned at him, showing off her uneven baby teeth. "You're welcome, Uncle Avatar."

Before Aang could tell her she could call him Uncle Aang, the door burst open, revealing a frazzled pair of siblings and a one-year-old in the arms of Sokka. "Dal! There you are!" Katara said, letting out a sigh of relief.

Dal waved her hand in excitement. "Hullo, Aunt 'Tara! Hullo, Daddy!"

"Hullo!" Sokka smiled at his daughter. "Dal, do you want to help me make dinner for when Mommy comes home?"

"Where is Mommy?" She asked, sliding off the bed as though she had forgotten her mother was not there.

"She's on Kyoshi Island. Well, she's on her way here." Sokka handed the baby to Katara as Dal lifted her hands, ready to be picked up next.

Dal nodded. "I miss Mommy."

The three adults felt pang in their hearts as they empathized with the girl. Sokka kissed her cheek. "Well, it's a good thing your Mommy is coming home," he said before walking away to the kitchen to start dinner.

Katara and Aang stared at each other for a moment. It seemed Katara was going to say something to him at the same time that he was going to say something to her, so they both stopped. Finally, Katara sighed and shut the door, leaving Aang alone in the room again. Aang flopped backwards in the bed in defeat.

Was today really that big a deal? It was a one-time encounter. Toph had never shown that sort of initiative before. Perhaps it was because it had been so long since just the two of them had been together, let alone talk. Nervousness.

But old – very old – feelings began to pop up. Feelings from when they were just kids and teenagers. When he and Katara had started dating and he would gaze his girlfriend, who he thought was absolutely gorgeous, but also found himself looking at other girls. Well, not always just "other girls." It was very often Toph that he was admiring.

"That's normal," Sokka had told him. "I look at girls all the time too. Suki doesn't mind." Suki didn't mind. In fact, she often pointed out pretty girls to him and they would talk about the girl's physique together. But Sokka and Suki were _weird_ ; Aang knew that much. Plus, Sokka casually threatened that he better not get any ideas about _doing_ anything with any other girl.

He trusted Zuko more. With a blush on his face, Zuko had said to him, "Maybe you do have a crush on whoever she is." And Aang told him that he didn't because Katara was his dream girl. While rolling his eyes, Zuko said, "So maybe it's hormones."

And that turned into a long road of embarrassment and explanation for the both of them. Aang wished the monks were a bit more open about sex education so he didn't have to go through that process with Zuko. At least the two became closer after that. Who knows? Had Aang just listened to Sokka and stared at whatever girl he liked, Zuko might not be his best man. And the Avatar might not be having a wedding altogether.

His thoughts were going off-track. He was supposed to be trying to sort out his thoughts about Toph. It was no big deal, he was sure. _Just be on your best behavior_ , he repeated in his head, thanking Dal for her wise advice. It shouldn't be that hard for him to just focus on his fiancée and his wedding for the week.

That night, when Suki arrived and everyone was laughing and joking together, Aang found himself being called back to Earth. He was still focusing on Toph's laugh and her teases. No big deal; it was a weird encounter. Surely, he would think about it later that day.

Then, the next day, when his best man arrived, Zuko had asked him mid-conversation if he had heard him. He hadn't. Seeing Zuko reminded him of his thoughts from the night before. And being reminded of his thoughts from the night before reminded him of Toph and _her hands_. Devilish hands they were.

Alright, the next day, whatever. After all, he was so concerned about what Toph's reasoning for her actions were, it shouldn't be strange that his mind was still wrapped up in those events. To be distracted from a conversation with his best friend though?

 _Just be on your best behavior_. The phrase seemed to be a continual chant in his head now.

"Hey, Aang, are you alright?" Zuko asked him, snapping him away from Toph, two days after the encounter. "You've been kind of out of it since I arrived yesterday." Zuko looked concerned.

"Pfft," Aang threw himself back against his chair. "I'm fine. I-I-I'm great! Getting married in, what is it now, five days?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "And this is, what, just wedding day jitters?"

"Yepp!" Aang grabbed his tea cup and lifted it to his lips, avoiding Zuko's gaze by staring out a window.

"I've never been married, but I do know what relationship doubts look like, Aang," Zuko said softly.

"I'm not doubting my relationship with Katara!" He said so convincingly, he almost fooled himself.

Zuko stared at him, trying to figure out the problem. "I also know what it's like to be interested in someone else when you shouldn't be."

Aang balked, setting the tea cup down. "Zuko, I don't know what _your_ problem is, but I'm very happy with the idea of being married to Katara for the rest of my life."

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Aang."

"Saying what?"

"The fact that you'll be with Katara for the rest of your life. It's like you can't wrap your head around it." Zuko rested his hand on his chin. Great, now Zuko was trying to be his therapist. It only took nine years to stop Katara from fixing all his problems.

Aang shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I know what marriage is."

"Do you really? As far as I know, the air nomads didn't practice marriage, right?" Aang nodded. "So you've been somewhat exposed to the idea of marriage for the past nine years? Only being with Katara? Not being able to experience a relationship with anyone else?"

"I don't need to experiment, Zuko."

"Maybe you do."

Aang stood up, ready to walk out. Angrily, Aang said to the other man, "I don't know why you're constantly trying to ruin my relationship with Katara, Zuko. It's like you're just waiting for us to break up."

Zuko didn't react to the statement, he only stared at Aang. Aang sighed and sat back down.

"I visited Toph two days ago. I dropped her dress off," he found himself telling Zuko. The airbender wasn't sure why he needed to pour all of this out, but he was doing it. "… And we interacted in a strange way."

"In what way?" Zuko asked. His mouth was covered by his hand as he studied Aang's expressions.

"Well, Toph is different-looking now, you know? Like, she was pretty when we were younger, but now she's…"

Zuko nodded while smiling, allowing Aang to continue without saying the word.

Aang focused his eyes on his shoes. "And I _stared_ at her, Zuko. I couldn't help it. Katara is beautiful and I love her, but it's like I just couldn't help looking at her body. I felt like a pervert."

"How did Toph respond?"

He shrugged. "She teased me at first… but then it got weird. She said stuff like it was ok for me to look because she looked at me."

"That sounds alright."

"Then when we went to say good-bye, she…" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "grabbed my butt."

Zuko stared at him for a second before beginning to giggle. He covered his face in his hands as he laughed, in disbelief of what Aang had said to him.

"What?" Aang huffed. "Why are you laughing?"

"That's what you're so upset about? That Toph touched you inappropriately? Aang, I'm surprised the casual fan hasn't tried that with you yet. Do you know how often _Suki_ tried to feel me up?" Zuko continued to laugh throughout speaking.

Aang frowned at him. "Sexual harassment is nothing to laugh about, Zuko." He could hear the Katara in his voice.

"No, it's not. But that just sounds like Toph having some fun." Zuko shook his head.

The airbender shifted again, trying to find the words that would help explain the situation better. "It wasn't just that Zuko… It was the whole feeling. It felt… _Flirtatious._ " He hoped he was using the word right. "And it made me feel more than just _embarrassed_ about the teasing."

"Aang, I thought we already had the talk about hormones."

"But I'm way out of puberty now!" The twenty-one-year-old insisted.

"Yeah, hormones are probably going to control your manly urges most of your life." Zuko sighed as though he was remembering regrets. "Aang, maybe this encounter just brought up your old feelings for her."

"Who said I have old feelings for Toph?" He asked defensively. Aang had never told Zuko specifically who it was that he had a crush on all those years ago.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Oh, right, it was the other girl your age that you were traveling with that you had a crush on."

"I didn't have a crush on her."

Zuko closed his eyes, steadying himself and controlling his breath before responding. "Alright, Aang. Then, you're for no reason having feelings to spring up when you saw how hot Toph has gotten. Just talk to her about why she acted that way if you're so concerned."

Aang thought about it, as though he never had before though about confronting Toph. "I guess I could."

"Great. So, when everyone gets together later, you're going to take her to the side so you can get this issue sorted _before_ you commit yourself to Katara, right?"

"Uhh," said Aang. His fight-or-flight said flight.

"Look, I'm going to personally make sure you and Toph get to talk because I don't want to see a widowed Katara being arrested by her husband's mistress after finding out about an affair."

"Why would Katara be arres- oh," Aang realized Katara's fight-or-flight in a situation like that may say fight. And that would be a sore ending for the Avatar.

* * *

 **Things will get rolling even more in the next chapter! I feel like I'm constantly promising that in my stories. It'll happen! Eventually! Thanks to The Samurai Prince for beta'ing again! It'll probably be regular (hopefully?) so consider this a thanks in advance because I don't want this to always be clogged up with my many thanks to him for doing this lol.  
**

 **Just to let you all know, I have a poll on my profile if anyone has a moment to vote what story I should write next! Feel free to review and let me know what you think :)**


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, the entire gaang gathered to spend the day in Republic City. Over the past nine years, the city had grown much faster than anyone had expected, but there was a sizable population and plenty of neighborhoods to explore. For convenience, everyone wore casual clothes to avoid being recognized in public and Dal and Senna were left in a day care center (Dal had acted like it was no big deal, but would probably be sobbing that they had left her when they came back).

"It's amazing," Katara commented on the buildings surrounding them. Her hand held tightly onto Aang's.

Toph grinned. "You can't even see half what I can." This was one of the few times Toph was able to enjoy the beauty of the outside world along with her friends.

"Guys!" Sokka suddenly ran from the back of the group to stop in front of a little restaurant. "This place is _amazing_."

"It kind of looks like someone might have been murdered in the back, Sokka." Katara cringed. She made a good point; the building looked dingy and the sign was already falling off its hinges. No one who worked here seemed to care about the appearance of the place.

"All the best food is found in the place you'd least expect it." He opened the door so everyone would walk inside. They did, but after a lot of hesitation.

The place was dark and empty. Without waiting for everyone to stop being scared, Toph scooted into a booth near the front with Sokka and Suki following close behind, while Aang, Katara, and Zuko on the other side. Aang found himself sitting in front of the earthbender.

"Get me whatever has the most meat," Toph said to them. Almost on instinct, the vegetarian across from her rolled his eyes.

"You and me both," Sokka agreed, taking a menu from the waitress.

"Name's Seji." The waitress had a surprisingly raspy voice for looking so young. She gestured to the back. "It's just me and the cook. Lemme know when you're ready."

"I think we're ready," Toph said. "Get me and ponytail whatever has the most meat, get baldy over there whatever _doesn't_ have meat, something with seafood for the girl sitting next to him, something spicy for the guy with the scar, and whatever's the healthiest for the one in the make-up."

Everyone blinked after Toph finished, but no one protested and gave their menus to Seji. The waitress nodded and walked off.

"Wow, I didn't realize you knew all of us that well, Toph," Katara commented, almost a little uneasy at the idea.

Toph shrugged. "You guys haven't changed even after all this time."

 _I beg to differ_. Aang thought, trying to avoid looking at the women at the table. While it was quite easy for him to realize that his earthbending teacher had become very curvy, it was a more gradual process for him to see his fiancée grow. Katara was slender and beautiful. When you saw her standing, you were immediately attracted to her longs legs. And Suki was normally dressed in her Kyoshi Warrior attire, but there were times when she had dropped the outfit to go swimming. With all of that skin showing, it wasn't hard to see that Suki was more matured.

Sure, the basics of everyone's personalities and preferences were there, but it was incorrect to say none of them had _changed_.

Aang had to adjust his robes.

"So everyone!" Katara decided to lead the conversation. "How's life going for you all? I can say being engaged has just been wonderful. Aang and I are so excited to be married in five days!" Aang had to roll his eyes. If the past few weeks had anything to say, it would be that they were having their fair share of problems and not exactly that they were _'so excited'_ to be married. He could have sworn he heard Toph snort at her enthusiasm.

"We're getting by," Suki joked. "It's just kind of hard when we're in three places all at once along with the kids."

"Dal and Senna are good sports though," Sokka smiled. Under the table, he took his wife's hand to give it a little squeeze.

"I'm supposed to get married soon," Zuko slipped in. It did not come out as casual as he had hoped it would however, as everyone turned to him in surprise.

"With _who_?" Katara asked. Aang could have sworn there was a small bit of jealousy to her voice.

Zuko coughed, obviously embarrassed now. "Nobody specifically. Just, I'm 25 and I'm still not married… nor do I have a girlfriend. My advisors are just worried if I don't get married soon, I might not have an heir."

"Why wouldn't you have an heir?" Aang asked innocently. "You have a lot of time."

"Yeah, until someone poisons his wine at a party," Toph crossed her arms. "They need him to get busy so they can hide the little rugrat in case something goes wrong."

"Well, who would take the throne if something did happen to you?" Suki asked.

Zuko scratched his head, trying to figure out the order. "… My uncle could. But he's also very old. He'd only take it to prevent Azula from getting the throne. No matter what her agenda is, her mental stability just isn't on par for a Lordess, you know?"

"Wicked," Sokka commented. "The food's here!" He jumped like an eager child. Even after becoming a father, it seemed the warrior was still his playful self.

As Aang reached over to take the plate from the waitress, he felt something cold brush against his leg and almost dropped the platter. Everyone looked at him, wondering what the heck was wrong with him. Aang laughed it off and put his plate down. He looked under the table to see what brushed his leg but saw nothing but the feet of his friends.

He came back up. "Sorry, I thought something touched my leg."

"Oh, _gross_." Katara shivered in disgust, moving to sit on her knees instead.

"So," Toph popped of piece of food into her mouth. "Have you guys had sex yet?"

Both Aang and Katara immediately choked on their food (and Katara hadn't even put anything in her mouth yet).

"What?" Suki was the one to reply. She was trying to cover her mouth from everyone seeing the food in her mouth since she was laughing.

Toph had a mischievous grin on her face. "I'm just wondering if they did the deed before they're signing it. I mean, it's only fair you try it out first before you do it for the rest of your life."

"No! You're supposed to wait for marriage, Katara!" Sokka said angrily.

"Oh please, Sokka. You and Suki couldn't even wait until the war was over," Toph rolled her blind eyes. Suki blushed furiously. "This is pretty good, by the way," Toph said in reference to her meal.

"I told you!" Sokka grinned, completely forgetting about what she had said just before that.

Before the subject could be brought back to his and Katara's sexual status, Aang tried to change the subject. "So I hear the crime rate here has been going up, is that difficult for your men, Toph?"

"Sorry, but we're talking about other things that go up," Toph snickered.

Once again, Aang felt something brush against his leg. Except, this time, whatever this cold thing was seemed to caress his leg instead. Aang found himself dropping his fork and making a piece of lettuce go flying.

Katara finally huffed and set her hands down on the table; she wasn't going to dance around this if Toph was eventually going to make them say it. " _Yes_. Aang and I have had sex."

Her brother reacted the most dramatically by dropping the meat in his hands and screeching in anger. His glaring eyes stared down the engaged couple as he scolded them. "I can't _believe_ you of all people would go against the traditions of our tribe. What if you had gotten pregnant Katara?"

His sister rolled her eyes. "Well, good thing I didn't."

Aang had tried to block that memory from his mind. That night didn't go too well. What if it was always tense as that time? He'd have to be stuck with that for the rest of his life.

"I think we should stop talking about this subject," Zuko interrupted them, looking directly down at his food and avoiding the gaze of anyone else.

"Me too." Sokka crossed his arms, trying to look upset as possible.

For a third time, Aang was surprised by feeling something cold rub against his leg and he almost dropped his fork again.

"Aang, what is _wrong_ with you?" Katara frowned, obviously disappointed in his table manners.

Frustrated, Aang threw his head under the table to see what was there, but all he saw near him was Toph's dirty, bare feet. Aang glanced at his legs. There was a coating of dirt on his leg where the cold thing had brushed against him.

Toph was messing with him. And probably laughing at him silently.

He came back up to the surface to see that the blind girl was covering her mouth and shaking just a small bit. Toph was indeed laughing at him. Deciding to initiate the plan earlier than whenever Zuko was planning, Aang said, "Hey, Toph, do you mind helping me with something really quick?"

"What?" Toph moved her hand, but the shadow of a smile was still on her face.

Aang airbent himself above Zuko and Katara to avoid the two having to scoot out for him. Toph, on the other hand, insisted on Sokka and Suki getting up. Aang felt a small bit of guilt for interrupting their lunch, but the avatar need to know what his earthbending teacher's problem was.

As soon as the both of them got outside and around the corner into a dark, empty alley, Aang asked her, "What are you doing?"

"What? With the foot thing? I was just messing with you. You got crazy freaked out every time I did it." Toph cackled.

"You were _caressing_ my leg with your foot."

She snorted. "OK, however you want to take that."

"Not only that, Toph, you," Aang leaned closer to her and whispered as though anyone else around them would care, "grabbed my butt when I went to visit you."

"I already explained that to you." Toph rolled her eyes. "Just getting a better look." She winked.

"Really?" Aang didn't believe that anymore. "You're not _flirting_ with me at all?"

Toph faltered. "W-what? I haven't seen you in years, why would I even bother flirting with you? Especially so close to your wedding. I'm not a floozy, Twinkletoes."

Aang stared at her, waiting for more of an explanation.

The girl could feel his stare. Nervously, she kept talking, "Like, listen, in the past I _may_ have had a some sort of crush on you or attraction, you know, whatever that is when you're a teenager, but that, like, went away a long time ago. I know I said earlier that you guys haven't really changed, but after all this time, it wouldn't make sense that those old feelings might come back and make me, you know, act differently around you or anything." As Toph babbled on, her cheeks became heated just from the possibility that she might look like a fool right now. Once she was quiet, there was a thick, tense silence between the two of them. Uncomfortable and embarrassed, Toph told him, "You know, I think I'm going to head to the station. I need to check on the boys."

Aang grabbed her wrist when she started to walk away. The words came out before he could stop them or realize he might regret it. "Toph, wait...I'm going to be honest, I use to have a crush on you too." It was the first time he had ever admitted it out loud. "And seeing you a few days ago, brought old feelings too. It's OK."

"Twinkletoes, I literally just said no old feelings were brought up for me." Toph huffed. She was antsy to get out of this situation, but Aang wasn't about to let her leave.

"You sound like me," he muttered. He was reminded of a conversation they had six years ago.

* * *

 _Everyone else was asleep. Aang finally got up after hours of tossing and turning to go sit by the fire. Someone else was already there._

 _Toph had been sitting there since everyone else went to bed. She couldn't see the fire but she liked the feeling of the warmth on her face. Something about that day had upset her._

 _He hesitated at first to join her, especially since she was the reason he was having a hard time sleeping, but his helpful nature encouraged him to see what was wrong with her. "Hey."_

" _Hi," she said quietly. "You can't sleep?"_

" _No, I was just thinking about stuff that happened today," he admitted to her. He and Katara had gotten into a fight, so Toph took it upon herself to cheer him up. Aang, of course, beat himself up over it, whether it was his fault or not._

" _I just didn't want you to run away again."_

 _Aang looked up at her. She was holding her knees and had her head angled at the fire._

" _I miss you when you're gone." She straightened her head and 'looked' towards him._

 _His breath caught in his throat. It was almost surreal to see her in the fire light. The light reflected off of her in a way that accentuated her ivory skin and made her green eyes shine._

" _You know, you're my best friend, Aang. We get along and we have similar humors. Sometimes, I feel like you're the only one who understands me. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you around."_

 _Aang couldn't find the words to reply because he wasn't sure what to tell her. He was supposed to be dating Katara, but now Toph was making him feel things he had only felt for his current girlfriend. Aang told himself at that moment that he didn't have feelings for Toph and didn't reply to her._

 _Toph waited patiently for him to say anything, but, when he didn't, she got up and walked away silently. Aang felt an explosion of regret in his chest. They never brought up the conversation again._

* * *

"Listen, Toph, I just want to figure this out. I'm supposed to be married in _five_ _days_. I can't be feeling weird every time we hang out." He took a deep breath before telling her. "I think," there was an awkward pause as he tried to come up with the words, "I might _still_ like you."

The blush on her face came back. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said quietly with a hint of hope in his voice.

"I mean, I just told you that don't have any feeling for you anymore, Twinkletoes," she tried to shut him down.

"Toph…"

"OK! Fine, I might have been flirting with you a little bit but I don't know what I'm feeling, Aang! And I really don't want to be the one to break up your marriage."

"So, let's figure this out before I get married!" He finally let go of her wrist as he jumped excitedly. His energy came back in anticipation for a something new to be happening.

She rolled her eyes. "How are we going to do that?"

He tapped his chin as his mind raced through different ideas. Slowly, he suggested, "Let's… have a day where we date each other. Just spend the entire day together. Katara doesn't exist, it's just us being together to see if it's real."

"That could go in a direction that we don't want, Twinkletoes," Toph said in a dull tone.

"That's up to us," Aang said. He watched her as she seemed to be weighing her options. Impatient, he asked her, "Well, what do you say? Do you want to?"

Even after his insistence, she still stood there silently for a few more seconds. Finally, the earthbender sighed while hesitantly nodding. "Okay, what's the worst that could happen?"


	4. Chapter 4

A knock at the door pulled Toph away from smelling the milk in her fridge, trying to figure out whether it had expired or if it was just a day away from it.

"What are you doing here, Twinkletoes?" She asked as she opened the door. He thrust an object into her face; it was too light for her to be able to tell exactly what it was until she took it from him.

"I brought you flowers- since it's, you know, a date," Aang explained, rubbing the back of his neck as he contemplated now whether or not that was a mistake.

Toph rolled her eyes, but she made sure that there was still a smile on her face. "Gee, thanks. I'll be sure to admire their beauty." She turned around to her kitchen to find a cup big enough to put the plants in.

Aang closed the door behind himself as he asked, "So, did you have any idea of what you might want to do today?"

"Well, considering you're the Avatar and the news of your wedding is spreading _fast_ , that cancels out a lot of public areas where you're sure to be recognized."

"What's so bad about that?"

Toph found a forgotten vase at the back of her cabinet that she previously thought was a decoration her mother had sent her and reached for it. "Because, if this day doesn't make you think that you don't want to marry Katara after all- which is the most likely outcome- then you may have to explain to some people in the future why your wife isn't the same one you were on a date with in the middle of Republic City." She plopped the flowers into the vase and set it onto the counter before turning to him.

"Oh."

"My vote is staying in and drinking until everything is funny- which is not as many drinks as everyone thinks it's going to be. After a certain point, you just get really sad." Toph shook her head.

Aang cautiously vetoed that idea. "It's not really my cup of tea to spend the day drinking, Toph."

She smiled and rolled her eyes again. "As I thought. There are some seedy parts of town that I don't think anyone will bother us in, but you might not like the sight of most of the folks there- at least, I assume from the way they speak. I can't imagine it's a bunch of polished gentleman buying Fire Whiskey and other drugs in a dark alley."

"Toph, shouldn't you arrest them if they're doing something illegal?" Aang asked, alarmed. He was having second thoughts about putting Toph in charge as Chief of Police.

The earthbender waved it off like it was no big deal. "Listen, it's not harming anyone and I'm off the clock. Besides, possession of Fire Whiskey is literally a slap on the wrist. At least, that's what I do. I'm not sure what the law is…" She trailed off as she tried to remember.

"OK, I'm going to bring that issue up to the council and hopefully we'll just make the alcohol legal because apparently everyone has it anyway."

"Do you think you could also bring that up to King Kuei?" Toph asked.

Aang ignored her question. "I guess we should just get going then, huh?"

"Actually, I gotta change. I'm still wearing my night clothes," Toph told him. She sashayed off to her room, peeling off her shirt and throwing it near a pile of dirty laundry on the ground before closing the door behind herself.

* * *

 _Toph was not always aware of her sexual appeal. Sometimes she could feel the piercing stares of people she could not stare back at and she couldn't understand why. Sure, when she was a teenager, Katara had told her she was pretty and when she was a kid, her mother had said the same, but they were supposed to, right? Nothing about the way they said it really made her feel like she was some gorgeous drop-dead diva._

 _Of course, when you're blind, you forget that people's appearances change over time._

 _A little over a year ago, Toph gladly led Katara and Suki on a "Girls' Night Out," where this time, Katara promised, the earthbender could choose where they hung out. Much to Suki's glee (and of course Katara was a little excited even if she would never admit it), Toph had led them out to her favorite watering hole. It wasn't full of the suspicious fellows who enjoyed drowning themselves in alcohol that Toph liked to befriend, but it also didn't have delicate ladies sipping from wine glasses. So, it was a nice medium that everyone was happy to lounge around in._

 _Quicker than they expected, the three girls found themselves_ drunk _. It didn't take long for them to be snorting and laughing at the prospect of Katara trying to bend balls of alcohol into their mouths. They tried it, but it ended up soaking their clothes (something Katara made sure about to whine about the day after… that one wasn't completely unjustified. It was pretty uncomfortable and cumbersome to get out)._

 _Even drunk, Toph could tell when someone was staring. She tried to shake it off, but for some reason, whoever it was, was relentless. "Guys…" she found herself struggling to say. "Someone's… looking."_

" _Duh," Katara snorted, her hands trying to wiggle a stream of something pink out of her drink. "We probably look like idiots."_

 _Suki was quiet for a minute before she began to repeatedly tap Katara's shoulder, messing up her focus. "_ No! _He's just looking at Toph!"_

" _Shit, is he angry?" Toph tried to casually hide her face with a menu. She didn't doubt she would find an old enemy of hers in a random place like this._

 _Suki giggled. "No way! I think he's going to come over here to talk."_

" _Please, no. I'm too drunk to metalbend my way out of a cage tonight." Toph groaned._

 _Katara jumped onto the crazy-train that Suki seemed to be on. "In my opinion, you'd want that guy to capture you tonight. It seems he's got his eyes on getting you home."_

" _She's not gonna return the eye contact! Just come here and flirt with her!" Suki suddenly shouted to the man across the room._

" _Suki!" Both Toph and Katara said, though Katara was laughing and Toph was angry._

" _Why the hell would he be interested in taking me home?" Toph grabbed a shot and downed it._

" _Are you serious right now?" Suki sputtered. "Toph, you're fine as hell. If I wasn't dating Sokka, I wouldn't mind take a bite of you."_

 _The waterbender agreed. "I'm not into the ladies, but if I was, what she said."_

" _If you were given the option to date anybody else, you'd date Zuko and you know it, Katara," Suki said, rolling her eyes, momentarily distracted from her conversation with Toph. Katara didn't deny it. The Kyoshi warrior continued turned back to Toph and continued, "You have, like, the best boobs and a great butt, a tiny waist and thick thighs. Toph, your curves are almost a guy's dream."_

" _And she's got a pretty face," Katara jumped in, though she had been nodding along to all of Suki's points._

 _Toph found herself blushing. She had never been told about all of her physical attributes, but now she was suddenly realizing that she_ had _them. The earthbender attempted to cross her arms over her chest._

" _Don't be ashamed!" Katara leaned over the table to swat her arms off her bosom. "Flaunt it, Toph. You could_ control _men with it…. Probably get any guy you want."_

 _Toph had listened to her mom-friend's advice._

* * *

Aang's cheeks flamed up as he realized Toph had just stripped in front of him. Thank goodness she wore bindings. He was pretty sure he wasn't a "sex on the first date" kind of guy, so he didn't expect to see much more of Toph than he already seen. Well, now he got a taste of that sort of lifestyle. Maybe that wouldn't be such a terrible way to live…

"Alright, let's go! I'll lead the way," Toph said, speeding her way past Aang. She had thrown on a lime green tank top, a black jacket, and a pair of brown cargo shorts. Her hair (which was in its normal bun) was pushed back with a brown headband.

Aang was, indeed, not a big fan of the looks of the people walking around those parts, but they were also the type who couldn't care less about the Avatar or his future wife.

Suddenly, Toph turned around and asked him in a low voice, "Do you want to do a bit of gambling?"

The airbender hesitated. "I don't know. Katara's not a big fan of when I gamble."

"Who's Katara? It's just us two single people on a date, right?" Toph replied impatiently.

 _Right. Katara doesn't exist right now_. "Well, I guess there's no reason not to then," Aang said against his better judgment.

Toph led him to an old lady sitting next to a low table at the corner of a street. She had a stack of cards sitting in front of her. The both of them sat down across from the table.

"Ten pieces," she said quickly, holding out her hand.

Toph handed it over.

"Who would like their tarot done first?" She said with a smile on her face as she pocketed the coins.

" _Tarot_? Ugh, I thought this was some card game." Toph shook her head. "Nevermind, sorry lady. You can keep the coins because I know you're going to anyway." She began to get up.

Aang grabbed her pant leg. "Wait, I'm interested."

"Wonderful!" Her hands worked quickly to shuffle the cards. Then, she spread out the cards face down for him. "Pick three and lay them out separately face-down."

As he did as she said, Toph crossed her arms and huffed. "This is nonsense, Twinkletoes."

The both of them ignored her. The old lady picked up his first card and turned it over. "This is your past. This card is the Tower card. In your life, something has happened that completely disrupted your peace, leading you here to today. It has likely affected you to the core of your being, disrupting your spirituality."

Aang nodded eagerly. That sounded like him getting frozen in an iceberg right after finding out he was the avatar and then having to train to finish a 100-year war.

She turned over the second card. "This is your present: the hanged man card. You are mostly likely feeling stuck or restricted right now in your life. You're going through a period of indecisiveness-"

"Will I be able to figure it out anytime soon?" Aang asked before she could even finish her sentence. He now only had four days until he was going to be married to Katara for the rest of his life.

The old lady smiled and turned over the last card. "This is your future. It's the lovers card. You are likely to form a very deep bond with another person, maybe even a strong sexual connection. This card highlights the importance to be careful with the decisions you make now."

Aang let out a breath as he gathered the information. "Wow, that's amazing. Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome, Avatar," she bowed to him.

"Did you hear that, Toph?" Aang asked excitedly as they began to walk down the street. "I'm going to figure it out!"

"Wow, it wasn't like we already decided that before the date," she said sarcastically. "Those cards could have been given to me and it would have made sense. Something bad happened, you need to make a decision now, and you'll form a relationship with someone in the future. It's bogus."

Aang's face fell. "When you put it like that, it doesn't sound as special."

Noticing his fallen attitude, Toph softened. "Hey, listen. At least you know you'll figure out your feelings soon enough."

"What about you?" he asked. "Have you figured out your feelings yet?"

"Well, I'm getting a little closer. I'm realizing either that you're too much of a goofball for me or that I'm into a total goofball." She winked at him. "Now, let's _actually_ gamble."

"Sounds good to me!"

…

Two hours later, Toph and Aang were running as fast as they could, bending along the way to try and slow down their attackers. For the first time since they were kids, the two peacekeepers were the ones who had disrupted peace. It probably wasn't the best idea that they decided to break their moral rules when they came to deal with law-breaking thugs.

While Aang slid underneath a fruit stand (Toph bent herself above it), he said to her, "I told you we shouldn't have cheated!"

Toph responded with a hearty laugh, adjusting the sack on her shoulder as well as she could while running at a full sprint. "Are you kidding me? Don't tell me this isn't the most fun you've had in, like, forever!" She turned around and took a moment to bend a wall of rock to block the men from the path. She gulped as an earthbender part of their group easily crashed through it. "But we should run a bit faster!"

Aang couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. She was right; he couldn't remember the last time he had felt such a rush of joy. Not even when Katara had said yes to his proposal after he had waited three days for an answer. Quickly, he spun and slashed the air with his staff, tripping over the four buff men.

"Twinkles, over here!" Toph called him from an alleyway she had ducked into. Aang took one last look at the men trying to recover from a gust of wind before following her. The both of them came to a dead end, but Toph threw the sack of money towards Aang and, as fast as she could, bent a tunnel entrance.

"Toph, we look like we robbed a bank," Aang said. He couldn't stop himself from dissolving into giggles.

Toph closed the entrance once Aang crawled in. Aang didn't bother to light a fire, since he figured he would see anything he needed to through seismic sense anyway.

"I think we look like two law-abiding citizens who are carrying a large sack." She grinned. Tired, she decided she'd rather wait out the thugs than bend a tunnel across the city.

"Well, no one can see us now." Aang put the sack on the ground before sitting beside it. The earthbender flopped onto the ground beside him.

"Hopefully. I'm not entirely sure how many people have seismic sense. I know we're not the only ones. One man in my force guessed that was how I could see before I even explained it to him." She sat up. After a moment's hesitation, she set her head on his shoulder. "Kashi is a good man. Smart," she said, trying to take the attention away from her move.

A blush flamed up on Aang's cheeks. He could feel his heart beat faster and immediately felt embarrassed, knowing Toph could tell. His embarrassment only added to his racing heartbeat.

Toph couldn't tell if his heart was a good or bad sign. People didn't seem to understand that your body reacted in similar ways to feelings that were complete opposites; any extreme emotion tended to make your body work faster.

"So," she cleared her throat. "Was this a great date or what?"

"Well, being chased by thugs and maybe the cops later isn't _ideal_ ," He laughed. "But you're right. This had been a pretty great… date." He tried his best to say the last word in full confidence. Just to add to the awkward silence that followed, Aang decided to try to lazily put his arm around Toph without making a big deal out of it.

Those hopes were squashed as Toph began to laugh at him. "Oh my god, we _suck_ at this."

"W-what?" He lifted his arm, feeling like he was already being rejected.

Toph grabbed his hand and forced his limb back down around her. "I just mean, it's not like either of us have experience when it comes to real _dating._ I've never dated anyone and you just have Sugar Queen. That's got to be like dating your mother." She began imitating Katara's voice. "Aang, Sweetie, next time remember to bring me _flowers_. You better use table manners when we go out to a restaurant! I swear, you need to learn to do your _own_ laundry!"

Aang couldn't help but laugh. "You've got her pretty down pat."

"I'm just saying, to any outsiders we probably look like dorks. Like, today it's just us. We shouldn't be feeling shy about being on a date with each other." Cautiously, as though there was a possibility she misremembered, she asked, "that was the deal, right?"

The avatar nodded. "That is what I promised." His arm relaxed around her. "It's just us- on a date."

"And it's pretty nice," Toph whispered out before she could stop it.

Aang was surprised, but her words made him smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "It _is_ pretty nice."

Toph felt Aang's head turn towards her, as though he was going to try to get a better look at her. Out of respect, she turned her head towards him, not realizing Aang was not able to actually see her in the dark. Toph felt his heart beat faster as his face started to lean closer to her.

The tunnel entrance opened before anything happened. The flood of light made Aang wince after being use to the dark for so long and he pulled away from Toph, but left his arm around her.

Toph had to take a moment to focus before she recognized who was standing there. "Oh," she offered a sheepish smile. "Hey, Kashi."


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Kashi."

The tall man eyed the two young adults cuddling in a makeshift tunnel. He had a strict posture with his hands almost permanently clasped behind his back. "Hello, Chief," he said sternly while his green eyes focused on the sack lying to the side.

Afraid of potentially being the only Avatar actually thrown in jail (although Kyoshi got pretty darn close), Aang stood up and blathered out, "We didn't rob anybody for that sack! We just won it while-"

Kashi held up his calloused palm. "I don't really need an explanation. Chief, I was patrolling the area when a group of men reported to me that a large amount of money was stolen from them. I assumed this presence of two hiding individuals would be the culprits… And I believe I'm correct."

Toph shook her head as she got up, hoisting the sack up onto her shoulder. "It wasn't _stolen_. They're just butthurt because I outsmarted them."

"So, I'm supposed to tell them to _suck it up_?" There was a bite of sarcasm in Kashi's voice that surprised Aang. The avatar knew what Toph was like when she was angry or when you challenged her authority and he didn't believe it to be likely that anyone would dare commit those crimes.

Despite what Aang expected, Toph grinned at him and punched his shoulder. "Sounds good to me, Kash." She walked past him beckoning Aang to follow her.

The avatar followed her, but took a moment to size up Kashi, where he noticed the officer seemed to have wandering eyes. Kashi unabashedly stared at Toph's curves, probably because he thought Toph would never be able to tell, but Aang could. It was appalling to Aang that Kashi believed he could just look at Toph that way, not only because she was blind and she was his superior, but because _Aang_ was the one on a date with her.

"You're looking good today, Chief," Kashi commented with a small smirk on his face. Aang felt his voice catch in his throat as he tried to come up with the words to try and put Kashi in his place.

Toph whipped around, her eyes wide and her cheeks pink. In any normal circumstance, Toph might have retaliated with another playful comment, but the presence of Aang threw her off her game. "That's not very appropriate to say to your commanding officer, Officer Lianpi." The first-name basis was off.

Aang looked between the two; there was something here that she had not told him about. While Toph obviously was not OK with his comment, there must have been a time where she _was_ for this man to dare say something like that.

Kashi glanced over at Aang. "Who's this guy?"

"Are you being serious right now? Do the arrows and the staff not give it away? I've been told they're fairly obvious." Toph waved a hand around in his general direction.

The man looked over Aang again before his eyes went wide and his fist met his hand as he bowed in respect. "Avatar, I didn't realize… Please, forgive me."

"Oh, chill out, Kashi. He's not going to bite." Toph rolled her eyes. Kashi was known on the force to be a superstitious man.

The police officer straightened up, his hands returning to their position behind his back, before replying with the same sarcastic tone as earlier, "I thought it was Officer Lianpi, Toph."

"It's Chief Bei Fong, Kashi. Don't step out of line just because-" She cleared her throat and put her free hand on her hip, attempting a threatening pose, but her cheeks had heated up again.

"OK!" Aang held up his hands, trying to get their attention. "You guys can stop dancing around whatever you're so afraid to talk about in front of me. What, did you guys go on a date or something?"

Kashi's smirk came back. "No, Avatar. It wasn't exactly a _date_." Aang was tired of this inside joke that he wasn't in on.

Toph tossed the sack to the ground. "I wasn't actually going to take this with me. Kashi, you can go donate it to your favorite charity or give it back to the thugs if you want."

"If you say so." He shrugged.

Aang furrowed his brow, confused as to why Toph was being so secretive about this topic. "Toph, what-"

"Let's go back to my place first, Aang," Toph interrupted him with an urgency in her tone.

Though confused and frustrated, Aang relented.

…

"Toph, what was that?" Aang asked as he watched Toph fidget with her door. It seemed she had forgotten about the easier route to power through her stone wall. The only times she really used the door was to let other people in.

Finally able to jam the key into the lock, Toph swung the door open and stamped her way inside, making a beeline for the fire whiskey she had stored in her room.

"Toph!" Aang yelled, closing the door behind himself. "What are you doing?"

"I just need a quick drink," she yelled back, running one hand through her hair as the other reached to the back of the cabinet.

Her hand was stopped as she attempted to pull the bottle with her as stood up.

"Toph… I thought we weren't going to be drinking on our date?" Aang raised an eyebrow, his hand slowly taking the bottle away from her. His face had molded from annoyance to concern.

" _You_ said you didn't want to drink. I never promised anything."

He stared at her while setting the bottle on her nightstand. "Come on, what's going on?"

She bit her lip. "I didn't want to be sober when I told you. It's kind of embarrassing."

"What… that you dated this guy?"

"I didn't date him! We got drunk at a bar and I… went home with him."

There was a moment of silence as Aang had to process what Toph admitted. "Wait, so you slept with him?"

The girl raced to come up with an explanation for her mistake. "I wasn't in my right mind! I know you're all about having _the one_ for you and the only reason you even slept with Katara was because you were so sure that she was _that one_. I just don't want you to think less of me because I slept with someone that I wasn't even in a relationship with."

Aang shook his head; he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, which shut Toph up. "Toph… my people didn't even get married. There was a good chance that my parents had children with _other_ people. Not to mention, I'm the avatar. I'm supposed to be accepting of all people- and I am, Toph." His hands found her cheeks and he cupped her face. "Toph, I don't care if you've slept with other people before- in a relationship or not. I'm just glad you're giving _me_ a chance."

Toph's lips parted as she could feel their heartbeats speeding up. "What about Katara?" She was barely able to whisper out.

"Who's Katara?"

…

" _I don't have a crush on her," 14-year-old Aang insisted. "_ Katara's _my dream girl."_

 _The fire lord rolled his eyes as he tried to say calmly back, "So, maybe it's hormones, Aang."_

 _There was a beat as Aang stared back at Zuko, trying to look like he understood, but Zuko wasn't fooled._

" _You… do know what hormones do to guys, right?" He asked hesitantly, not really wanting to have the conversation with the younger boy, but also not wanting him to go through life with the wrong information._

" _Yes," Aang replied. "…Uh, no."_

" _OK." Zuko took a moment to think about what he should tell him. Of course, when his uncle Iroh was in this situation, he was more than happy to relate everything to something that sounded wise. Not that Zuko didn't insist on being embarrassed every time the subject was brought up. It was a good thing Iroh was constantly spitting out advice so Zuko had something to work with. "So, hormones are a part of everybody- girls too- but more… noticeably guys. Did the monks ever explain puberty to you?"_

" _Yeah." That was the truth. Even if they hadn't, Aang was still well aware of the changes going on within him and would have asked somebody by then._

" _But they didn't explain sex and hormones?"_

 _Aang took a moment to think. "I think I've only ever heard anything about it from Sokka."_

" _Alright, don't listen to anything Sokka says about it. Hormones make you feel things towards girls that are definitely way different and more powerful than anything you would have felt before. Uncle Iroh said something along the lines of it being part of our most basic instincts, but also something you need to cherish like a delicate flower." Zuko shook his head. He felt ridiculous. "Look, there's going to be a time in your life where you will have sex. I need more time to think about how I'm going to explain_ that _to you, but just know it's something that comes naturally and it brings you and your partner closer. It's a special experience and it's_ supposed to feel _special."_

 _While Zuko's initial response had been vague, Aang never forgot it. He had kept it in mind during his first time years later with Katara, trying to bring the both of them closer when he thought they were on the edge of losing each other. In a way, they had come to a sort of understanding: they both knew they didn't want to do_ that _with each other again._

 _And now as Aang felt his hormones coming into play again, Zuko's words of how an experience was supposed to feel special were echoing in his head._

…

He pulled her towards him and molding his lips over hers. Almost immediately, Aang released a sigh of relief as though his entire life had been leading up to this moment- and maybe it had. Their kiss was almost like a tug of war as the two wrestled for dominance. Toph was surprised by the animalistic growl the airbender emitted when she enfolded her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer. But, then again, Aang was surprised by his response too. Iroh was right: all of this came with his most basic instincts.

Aang's hands found themselves grabbing Toph's bottom, almost a retaliation for her move a few days before. Without thinking, he began to lift her up and Toph wrapped her legs around his waist. This was a moment when she was glad she drilled him so hard in earthbending because now he had no problem holding her up.

Even though he was strong enough to keep her up by gripping her thighs, Aang set her down on the edge of the bed to put them into a more comfortable position. At that moment, Toph finally pulled herself away from him and panted, "Aang, you're supposed to be getting married in a few days. I don't want us to do anything we're going to regret."

"That's up to us."


	6. Chapter 6

**Toza's Gym Entry: Weights**

 **Team/Position: Red Sands Rabaroos/Earthbender**

 **Word Count: 1894**

* * *

The next morning, Aang woke up in a bed that was definitely not his own next to a girl who was definitely not his girlfriend.

Immediately waking up through his normal sleepy haze, Aang flipped out of the bed. He was grateful to see that he was wearing his underwear, but he also knew that didn't mean they hadn't done anything.

The airbender leaned over the bed and began to shake the sleeping girl. "Toph! Get up!"

What had he told her last night? _That's up to us?_

 _Stupid! You're getting married to_ not _her!_ _In three days!_

Aang sighed and looked down at the stubborn sleeper. Toph had not reacted to Aang's shove with much more than a lazy attempt at waving him away. She was still very much asleep… and almost cute. Her mouth hung open by a hair where she breathed in and out deeply and slowly. Her raven hair was scattered across the pillows, a strand delicately falling over her face. The flawless alabaster skin of her shoulders was just peaking out of the covers.

Which were covered. Aang breathed a sigh of relief. Her shoulders were covered by the small strip of cloth of her undershirt. It still didn't confirm they hadn't done anything, but until he could remember what happened the night before, the sight gave him a small bit of comfort.

A familiar popping noise made Aang turn his head towards the nightstand beside Toph's bed. It was a modified version of the candle the mechanist had introduced to them all those years ago. The noise, though quieter than Aang's desperate pleas earlier, caused the earthbender to stir and, eventually, sit up.

"If only I had the option for two more minutes," Toph groaned, rubbing her eyes. Aang stared at her for only a moment before she froze and realized he was there. "Oh… Twinkletoes. I forgot for a second. I guess I do have the option for two minutes since I don't have work today." She smiled and snuggled back into her bed.

"Toph!" Aang said irately.

"What? Go home and get ready for your wedding with your wife. It's the next day. She exists now," Toph said, not moving from her position buried in her pillow.

"Did… did we have sex?" Aang finally asked when it was clear Toph was not going to get up for him.

There was a moment of silence before Toph sat up again, the strap to her shirt falling over her shoulder. Aang had to fight the impulse to either fix it or rip it.

The earthbender blew at her bangs. "No. We didn't. You don't remember last night?"

Aang could remember a lot of last night. A lot touching and feelings. "No."

She sighed. "I think you would have if I had let you. But since you're a guy and you've got those hormones, I knew you weren't thinking clearly and I stopped it. I mean, Aang, it's _Katara_. You've been in love with her since you popped out that iceberg. I can't let you ruin everything you guys have."

The memory of the night before came rushing back to him.

 _He tugged at her undershirt; there were no thoughts in his head aside from the echoes of their panting. He shouldn't have pulled away then because the moment his lips were off of hers, she began speaking logic at him._

" _Aang, are you sure?" She asked. He looked at her face not to see the hungry look of lust like he hoped, but creased with worry. He found his fervor cooling already._

" _Why wouldn't I be? Don't you_ want _me too?"_

 _She shook her head. "That's not what I mean. Of course, I do. I've had feelings for you for_ years, _Aang. But you've had feelings for Katara for even longer."_

" _Katara doesn't-"_

" _Yes, she does, Aang! We can't do this because she_ does _exist. I can't do this to you and I can't do this to her." Toph found herself sitting up, hugging her knees to her chest. "I mean, look at us. We've had_ one _day of fun. Does that really justify ruining a decade-long relationship?"_

 _Aang couldn't answer her._

" _You're just going to have to forget about whatever feelings you might have for me. I will too, so don't worry about me, Twinkles. I can't let you ruin everything you guys have."_

At some point they must have passed out, but Aang didn't need to remember anymore. Their conversation pulled at his chest.

"Do you want breakfast?" Toph asked, getting up and smoothing down her underclothes, like the night before had never happened. "I think I've got some goose-chicken eggs, maybe some bread."

He shook his head. "No, I should probably get going. Katara's going to be worried if I don't get home soon."

"Whatever you think, Twinkletoes." She gave him a bright smile.

It hurt more to see her pretend like she had never feelings for him than just deal with the pain of it. But he supposed she might be right. Why ruin the solid relationship he had with Katara for a fling that might not even lead to anything? Still, there would always be that question of what might have been.

Aang had begun to gather up his clothes and dress himself when he heard her say, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know: When you thought we had slept together, did you feel ashamed?"

He turned over to look at her. Her foot was tapping nervously. "No. I felt guilty because of Katara, but I didn't feel ashamed that I had slept with you."

"OK," She replied like she had just told him that he was planning to have a sandwich for lunch. Toph walked out of the room without any hesitation. "I guess I'll see you in three days at your _wedding_!" She called back. And Aang didn't see her again until the wedding.

…

Aang was glad to see that the sun was just starting to rise when he arrived to the house they were sharing with Sokka's family. He was less glad to sneak in and find Sokka standing in the living room, cradling a one-year-old in his arms.

"Aang?" Both Sokka and the airbender's eyes met and widened in surprise. "Are you just now getting home?"

"Uh, no?" Aang shut the door behind himself before leaning his staff against the wall.

Sokka narrowed his eyes at him. "Then why are you wearing the same robe as yesterday?"

Aang looked down at the robe he had hastily put together in an effort to get home quickly. "I guess I fell asleep in it."

"And you went on a quick flight before sunrise because?" He nodded towards his staff.

"I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep." Aang was ashamed of how easily he could lie to his soon-to-be brother-in-law. "I didn't realize how close to day time it was."

The baby began to fuss in Sokka's arms and he sighed. He was tired. "Shh, baby girl. It's alright. You're supposed to able to sleep until sunrise now."

"Do you want me to take her?" Aang offered, desperately wanting any excuse for Sokka to no longer be suspicious of him. After all, in the end, he had chosen Katara.

Sokka seemed to debate it for a minute. "She's not going to fall asleep again, but I would appreciate it if you just watched her for an hour or two so we can get some sleep."

"No problem." Aang eagerly took the squirming child from Sokka. It only took a moment for the child to slide out of his lap once he sat down and begin to toddle around the room.

Senna eventually gave up on walking (she wasn't very good at it) and crawled back to Aang.

Looking down into her big, innocent, blue eyes, Aang asked her, "What am I going to do, huh, Senna?"

The baby tilted her head as though she understood before clinging to the edge of his robe to stand back up. She began to babble nonsense.

"Yeah, I know." Aang laughed. "If I have a baby as cute as you, I'll be lucky." Senna turned back to look at him. Those blue eyes seemed to dig into his soul. "I just wonder," He sighed, "If she'll have blue or green eyes."

…

Was it a mistake? Had Toph just ruined the last chance she had at potentially being with the one guy who seemed to actually _get_ her?

 _Stop being such a pansy_ , she reprimanded herself. Sure, it would be hard to find a person who would be willing to put up with all her crap, but there was more than just Aang. After all, Kashi practically jumped at the chance to have some sort of relationship with her. It was Toph who cut it off to just that one- well, few nights. He had respected her decision.

Toph dug into her secret wall compartment until she could feel the cool glass of her bottle of Fire Whiskey. She weighed the contents in her palm before deciding she wasn't feeling up for drinking anymore and stuffed it back inside.

She wondered if Kashi was still home. It was, what, an hour after sunrise? The popping in her bedroom confirmed her suspicions.

Then again, the idea of erasing the events of the day before not only felt like she was wronging Aang, but herself. Sure, she had told him that she would just _forget_ her decade of feelings for him- and it would look like she had on the day of the wedding- but there was no way she could ignore the way he still made her heart beat hard, or the way his had too.

Toph just wished she could make up her mind. _Either ruin your group of friends or bury your feelings like your parents taught you to, Tophy!_

…

Katara knew Aang had never come home that night. She didn't know where he had flown off to, but she guessed it was probably because he was as unsatisfied with their relationship as she was.

In fact, she was surprised to see him come home that morning. Katara had been looking at herself wear her veil (she had spent an entire day sculpting the ice veil to perfection) in the mirror, debating whether or not she should tell Suki to cancel all the arrangements, when she noticed movement outside. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was indeed her husband-to-be trying to sneak in without anyone noticing. Of course, Katara knew Sokka was right outside the door, trying to quiet down Senna.

Perhaps the fact that Aang had returned so soon, instead of the day of the wedding like Katara had expected, meant that he had finally made a decision. And if Aang had decided to try to give their relationship a go, which she understood his ten minute speech later that day to be about, then maybe she could too.

Katara felt her heart speed up again. His returning so soon was a sign. Perhaps Katara would finally get her happily ever after with her idol, the avatar, as she always dreamed.

She sighed, taking the veil off and dissolving it into a bowl. Screw perfection. Katara would just have to take what she was given and hope for the best.


End file.
